Minggu, 24 Oktober 2021

Humans Might’ve Had Tails Millions of Years Ago

Millions of years ago, our ancestors had tails. So, why don't we?

The short answer, of course, is we lost the ability and need to grow tails thanks to evolution. The longer, more accurate explanation is one that scientists have been working to figure out and now we might finally have an answer: genetic mutation.

In a new study, New York-based researchers theorize that the mutation was mediated by the addition of a short segment of DNA—known as an Alu element—and is the reason why humans and apes do not have tails but monkeys do. In fact, the question of why humans lack tails has plagued Bo Xia, an NYU Grossman School of Medicine stem cell biology graduate student since he was a child, he told the New York Times.

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